Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
My Review: 3/5
Genre: Dark Academia (adult)
Leigh Bardugo is an author best known for grishaverse books which most notably include Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. Ninth House by Bardugo was my introduction to her, though. I was familiar with her from Shadow and Bone (the Netflix show, not the book) but had never made a huge effort to seek out her stuff. But Ninth House was something I was interested in for two reasons when I heard about it. One, it’s dark academia and I’d never really delved into that genre despite resonating with the tropes. Two, it’s a controversial book. This book has youtubers crafting 30 minute long essays listing all the reasons why you SHOULDN’T read it.
Anytime a book is that divisive amongst fans I naturally need to read it. Keep in mind, I steered clear from any spoilers and only had a vague idea of what the controversy was all about. And uh, kinda wish I had looked up trigger warnings beforehand.
Alright, enough rambling. Let’s get into it. Ninth House follows Alex Stern, or Galaxy as her mother Mira refers to her. Alex has found herself attending Yale University despite not having the grades and a criminal past. So how did she get accepted? A secret ghost society got her in because she is ~gifted~... She can see ghosts without taking an elixir. She’s just built different. Things are off to a rocky start when her mentor, Darlington, vanishes and someone is murdered.
That’s as spoilery as I’m gonna get.
Now, into the positives. Alex is an amazing character. It was refreshing to read a protagonist’s POV who is not afraid to be selfish, a bitch, and a liar to get what she wants. She’s a badass who isn’t afraid to step on some toes – or a lot. Alex also feels slightly unhinged at times and that is my favorite dessert. Despite all of that, she remains likable. Bardugo has a unique and engrossing writing style. I can see why she’s so popular! Darlington is also an interesting character, I just wish we’d gotten more of his POV, ya know?
That leads us into the cons. Um. Trigger warning. 3. 2. 1. There is a lot of rape in this book. Which is disgusting and unnecessary. I felt like it was an extreme way of building sympathy for a character that left me feeling sick. Ninth House feels like a larger commentary on sexual assault, privilege – especially that of wealthy men–, and what money can get away with. I get it. That’s kind of the point of dark academia. It usually explores the entitlement associated with wealthy academia and how it can be, well, dark. However, Ninth House attempts to say too much. It feels incredibly on the nose. Even the dialogue is blatant. There’s a scene where a character accuses another of blaming the victim. I mean, really?
Subsequently, I feel conflicted, because like I said, I really enjoyed Alex as a protagonist. She is awful in the best way and the magic system was interesting (if a little complicated). So will I read the sequel?
I think so, yes. The way things ended, I can’t not read it! I’m sorry!